GE announced today they are building "an advanced technology thin film solar panel factory in the United States that, at capacity, will produce enough panels per year to power 80,000 homes annually. The 400-megawatt facility will be larger than any U.S. solar panel manufacturing plant in operation today and will employ 400 people. Multiple locations are being considered for the new facility, with the final location to be announced shortly."

In the same announcement, GE says that a new "full-size, thin film solar panel developed by the company has been independently certified as the most efficient ever publicly reported milestone for the technology."